Nancy Reagan Introduces "Just Say No" Campaign - HISTORY.com Audio Nancy Reagan Introduces "Just Say No" Campaign (1) In a nationally broadcast message to the American people on September 14, 1986, first lady Nancy Reagan joins President Ronald Reagan to kick off her "Just Say No" campaign, an effort to raise drug abuse awareness. Nancy Reagan Introduces "Just Say No" Campaign (1 min) tv-pg In a nationally broadcast message to the American people on September 14, 1986, first lady Nancy Reagan joins President Ronald Reagan to kick off her "Just Say No" campaign, an effort to raise drug abuse awareness. Related Speeches & Audio Did Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just Say No’ Anti-Drug Campaign Lay Foundation For Mass Incarceration A Decade Later? Did Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just Say No’ Anti-Drug Campaign Lay Foundation For Mass Incarceration A Decade Later?

03/08/16 AT 6:03 PM Close Millions of Americans won’t soon forget the image of first lady Nancy Reagan surrounded by black schoolchildren in Oakland, California, where she coined the phrase, “Just Say No!” But the 1980s campaign to steer America’s children away from drug use and addiction didn’t have the desired impact decades later for Reagan, who died of heart failure at age 94 over the weekend. The "Just Say No" campaign , a ubiquitous companion effort to President Ronald Reagan’s War on Drugs, failed to reduce the likelihood that teenagers would experiment with illegal substances and did not make American communities safer, according to government data. Instead, it helped to establish school-to-prison pipeline policies across the nation that saw black and Latino students disproportionately kicked out of schools and jailed in juvenile detention centers. It also doomed many to adulthood interactions with the criminal justice system. Top Drugs Used in the Past Year by 12th Graders | HealthGrove Some anti-drug prohibition groups have suggested that Just Say No laid the groundwork for the mass incarceration policies enacted under Clinton administration a decade later.

The proliferation of illegal drugs, especially crack cocaine, in major cities led to high crime rates in the 1980s and '90s. Nancy Reagan’s anti-drug use message ignored the science behind drug abuse, by positing that users with strong wills and determination could quit any time they wanted, critics have said . First lady Nancy Reagan speaks at a Just Say No anti-drug rally in Washington during her husband's presidency. Photo: Diana Walker/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images In 1986, the Just Say No campaign was made official by presidential proclamation and congressional resolution, according to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Library . In the mid-1980s, crack use ravaged urban communities. But Reagan’s messages targeted the use of marijuana, a plant-based substance some consider to be a “gateway drug” to crack, even though scientists at the time said it did not pose the kinds of societal threats suggested by the first lady. Reagan’s campaign, which included 110 appearances and 14 anti-drug speeches in 1984 alone, led to the creation of approximately 12,000 "Just Say No" youth clubs around the country and abroad.

Early measures showed cocaine use among high school seniors had decreased by one-third, according to the Reagan Library. But students who participated in related Drug Abuse Resistance Education programs were just as likely as non-participants to try illegal drugs, studies later showed. More than three decades later, nearly half of Americans report having tried marijuana, and legal sales in four states, beginning in Colorado and Washington, are booming. The impact of tougher drug sentencing laws enacted during the administrations of Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton have led to bipartisan calls for criminal justice reform in 2016. Racial disparities in the sentencing of drug offenders prompted Democratic calls for federal-level reforms. A more recent prescription drug and heroin abuse epidemic in majority-white communities has prompted Republicans to get on board. Related Stories Nancy Reagan, Former First Lady, Dead At 94 African-Americans, who make up 13 percent of the U.S. population and whose drug use is proportionate to their numbers, were 34 percent of people arrested for drug offenses and 45 percent of those held in state prisons for drug offenses in 2009, according to FBI data .

Also in 2009, 582,759 adults were on probation and 261,666 adults were on parole for drug law violations in the U.S. Prior drug convictions precluded many ex-convicts from getting employment, financial aid for college, public housing and other federal and state-funded programs that might help them bounce back from years of imprisonment. But some states, including New York and California, have begun changing those policies. Zero-tolerance policies for drugs in public schools saw more and more police officers assigned to patrol majority-minority school districts. Black and Latino kids became far more like to be arrested at school, reducing their likelihood of graduating, getting a job and staying out of the criminal justice system as adults. Nancy Reagan, First Lady Behind 'Just Say No' Campaign, Dead At 94 | The Huffington Post Nancy Reagan, First Lady Behind 'Just Say No' Campaign, Dead At 94 Reagan was a strong advocate of using stem cell research to learn about Alzheimer's.

03/06/2016 11:49 am ET | Updated Mar 07, 2016 21k Sara Bondioli Deputy Politics Editor, The Huffington Post David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images First lady Nancy Reagan and President Ronald Reagan greet the press outside the White House in May 1981. Former first lady Nancy Reagan died Sunday at the age of 94. The news was first reported by the website TMZ , citing a "close family member," and confirmed by a spokeswoman. The Reagan Library said in a statement that the cause of death was "congestive heart failure." The widow of former President Ronald Reagan had been hospitalized in October 2014 with a fractured pelvis. She served as first lady from 1981 to 1989 and was known for her work in combating youth drug abuse through the "Just Say No" campaign. I am saddened by the passing of my step mother Nancy Reagan...She is once again with the man she loved.God Bless... ...

— Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) March 6, 2016 She was born Anne Frances Robbins on July 6, 1921, in New York City. When her stepfather adopted her in 1935 , she took his last name of Davis. She majored in theater at Smith College in Massachusetts. In 1951, she met her future husband when he was president of the Screen Actors Guild and she was a Hollywood actress billed as Nancy Davis. They married in Los Angeles in 1952 and had a daughter, Patti Davis, and a son, Ron Reagan. "My life really began when I married my husband," Nancy Reagan often said. She even referenced the quote in her 1989 book My Turn. After the wedding, Nancy Reagan appeared in only a few more films , including "Hellcats of the Navy" (1957), which also featured her husband. "Ronnie," as she affectionately called him, served as governor of California from 1967 to 1975.

During that time , Nancy Reagan supported veterans groups and advocated for the Foster Grandparent Program , which brings together older Americans with children who have physical and emotional handicaps. She drew national attention to the program once her husband was elected to the White House. Hulton Archive/Getty Images Ronald and Nancy Reagan gaze at one another across a table in 1952, the year they married in Los Angeles. As first lady of the United States, Reagan also launched a campaign to fight drug and alcohol abuse among youth. The refrain "Just Say No" became synonymous with those efforts and a pop culture watchword. The first lady appeared repeatedly on TV and enlisted more established groups to advance the anti-drug message. "Just Say No" clubs were started nationwide in schools and elsewhere. Critics, however, argued that the "Just Say No" approach to the drug war was too simplistic. Reagan was also mockingly dubbed "Queen Nancy" for what many viewed as excessive spending during the 1981-82 recession, according to the National First Ladies' Library . She directed major repairs and redecoration in the White House , which hadn't been done since renovations in the 1960s, and purchased new china.

Though Reagan paid for the upgrades with private donations, many Americans criticized her. Her elegantly expensive wardrobe, often donated by the designers, sparked criticism as well. She caught flak for being overly involved in her husband's administration, particularly in the hiring and firing of top advisers. A number of memoirs from those who worked for the Reagans said that Nancy Reagan pushed out those she perceived as detrimental to her husband. One White House chief of staff, Donald Regan, said in his 1988 book that he was fired after disagreeing with her over what the president should do during the Iran-Contra scandal. "She becomes very vindictive if she thinks somebody is going to harm the reputation of her husband or herself, or won't give in to her," he said at the time, according to People magazine . David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images Nancy Reagan touches her husband's casket as he lies in state inside the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on June 9, 2004. Regan's book also revealed that Nancy Reagan had begun consulting an astrologer to deal with her own fears over her husband's safety after the March 1981 assassination attempt.

Shot in the chest, the president underwent emergency surgery to save his life. Regan wrote that in later years, the first lady required major decisions regarding the president's schedule to be run past the San Francisco fortune teller. After President Reagan's second term, the couple returned to Los Angeles. In 1994, the former president announced he had Alzheimer's disease . Nancy Reagan, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had a mastectomy in 1987, cared for her husband until he died on June 5, 2004. Following her husband's death, Reagan became a strong advocate of using stem cell research to learn more about Alzheimer's and other diseases. In her book I Love You, Ronnie, Nancy Reagan recalled her husband's final illness: "We've had an extraordinary life ... but the other side of the coin is that it makes it harder. There are so many memories that I can no longer share, which makes it very difficult. When it comes right down to it, you're in it alone.

Each day is different, and you get up, put one foot in front of the other, and go -- and love; just love." Also on HuffPost Why "Just Say No" Doesn't Work - Scientific American Scientific American Why "Just Say No" Doesn't Work A popular program for preventing teen drug use does not help. Here's what does Advertisement | Report Ad “Just say no.” In 1982 First Lady Nancy Reagan uttered those three words in response to a schoolgirl who wanted to know what she should say if someone offered her drugs. The first lady's suggestion soon became the clarion call for the adolescent drug prevention movement in the 1980s and beyond. Since then, schools around the country have instituted programs designed to discourage alcohol and drug use among youth—most of them targeting older elementary schoolchildren and a few addressing adolescents. There is good reason for concern about youth substance abuse. A large U.S. survey conducted in 2012 by psychologist Lloyd D. Johnston and his colleagues at the University of Michigan revealed that fully 24 percent of 12th graders had engaged in binge drinking (defined as five or more drinks on one occasion) in the past two weeks.

Moreover, 42 percent had consumed at least some alcohol in the past month, as had 11 percent of eighth graders and 28 percent of high school sophomores. In addition, 1 percent of 12th graders had tried methamphetamine, and almost 3 percent had used cocaine in the past year. In an attempt to reduce these figures, substance abuse prevention programs often educate pupils regarding the perils of drug use, teach students social skills to resist peer pressure to experiment, and help young people feel that saying no is socially acceptable. All the approaches seem sensible on the surface, so policy makers, teachers and parents typically assume they work. Yet it turns out that approaches involving social interaction work better than the ones emphasizing education. That finding may explain why the most popular prevention program has been found to be ineffective—and may even heighten the use of some substances among teens. Rehearsing Refusal The most widely publicized teen substance abuse prevention program is Drug Abuse Resistance Education, better known by the acronym D.A.R.E. Created in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department, D.A.R.E.

asks uniformed police officers to go into schools to warn students about the dangers of drug use and underscore the pluses of a drug-free way of life. In most cases, the officers do so once a week, typically for 45 to 60 minutes, for several months. D.A.R.E. is immensely popular; according to the program Web site, it has been put in place in 75 percent of U.S. school districts and 43 countries. D.A.R.E. bumper stickers, D.A.R.E. T-shirts, and police cars emblazoned with the word D.A.R.E. are familiar fixtures in many U.S. communities. Despite this fanfare, data indicate that the program does little or nothing to combat substance use in youth. A meta-analysis (mathematical review) in 2009 of 20 controlled studies by statisticians Wei Pan, then at the University of Cincinnati, and Haiyan Bai of the University of Central Florida revealed that teens enrolled in the program were just as likely to use drugs as were those who received no intervention.

A few clues to D.A.R.E.'s deficiencies come from psychologist Pim Cuijpers of the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction in Utrecht. In a review of 30 studies published in 2002, she attempted to pinpoint the common elements of successful programs. Cuijpers reported that the most effective ones involve substantial amounts of interaction between instructors and students. They teach students the social skills they need to refuse drugs and give them opportunities to practice these skills with other students—for example, by asking students to play roles on both sides of a conversation about drugs, while instructors coach them about what to say and do. In addition, programs that work take into account the importance of behavioral norms: they emphasize to students that substance use is not especially common and thereby attempt to counteract the misconception that abstaining from drugs makes a person an oddball. In a 2011 review of various substance abuse prevention programs, epidemiologist Melissa Stigler of the University of Texas School of Public Health and her colleagues buttressed these conclusions.

They further observed that programs that unfold during many sessions—ideally, over several years—garner especially strong results, probably because they provide students with lessons that are reinforced over time, as children mature and encounter different environments. [break] D.A.R.E. lacks some of these key elements. It typically lasts only months rather than years. Moreover, it affords students few opportunities to practice how to refuse offers of drugs. Indeed, Cuijpers noted that purely educational programs that involve minimal or no direct social interaction with other students are usually ineffective. Merely telling participants to “just say no” to drugs is unlikely to produce lasting effects because many may lack the needed interpersonal skills. Programs led exclusively by adults, with little or no involvement of students as peer leaders—another common feature of D.A.R.E.—seem relatively unsuccessful, again probably because students get little practice saying no to other kids. Good Intentions That Backfire Worse, D.A.R.E. programs might occasionally backfire when it comes to the use of milder substances, such as alcohol and cigarettes.

In a 2002 review psychologist Chudley Werch, now president of PreventionPLUSWellness in Jacksonville, Fla., and health educator Deborah Owen of the University of North Florida reported a slight tendency for teens who went through D.A.R.E. to be more likely to drink and smoke than adolescents not exposed to the program. Small negative effects for D.A.R.E.-like programs on drinking and smoking were also reported in a 2009 study by public health professor Zili Sloboda of the University of Akron and her colleagues. The reasons for these potential boomerang effects are unclear. Yet by emphasizing the hazards of severe drug abuse, D.A.R.E. may inadvertently convey the impression that alcohol and tobacco are innocuous by comparison. These scientific findings stand in stark contrast to the belief, held by scores of schoolteachers and parents, that D.A.R.E. works. One reason for this discrepancy, clinical psychologist Donald R. Lynam, now at Purdue University, and his colleagues wrote in a 1999 article, is that teachers and parents may overestimate the prevalence of substance use among children. As a consequence, they may assume a decline in use when students of D.A.R.E.

abstain from alcohol and drugs. But that conclusion is erroneous if children who did not receive drug prevention education display levels of drug use that are just as low, if not lower. In addition, as Lynam and his colleagues observe, D.A.R.E. makes intuitive sense: it seems plausible that most children exposed to authority figures who warn that drug use is dangerous would hesitate to disobey those admonitions. The good news is that some proponents of D.A.R.E. are now heeding the negative research findings and incorporating potentially effective elements, such as role playing with peers, into the intervention. Research on these revised programs should soon tell us whether they will make a dent in the considerable problem of substance abuse among vulnerable youth. This article was originally published with the title "Just Say No?" Advertisement | 'Just Say No' anti-drug campaign was Nancy Reagan's most memorable achievement - LA Times Drugs already had a strong grip in Compton High School when Maple Cornwell became assistant principal in 1983. Crack cocaine was just making its debut. Educators had few tools to fight what would quickly turn into an epidemic.

Into this void came the voice of Nancy Reagan , with a message for children around the nation: "Just Say No." The campaign against drugs became Reagan's most memorable achievement — lauded by some for showing the destruction addiction wrought, condemned by others who say it helped lead to mass incarceration and demonized black communities, and shrugged off by many who thought the message was naively simplistic and ineffectual. "I don't think students really got the message," Cornwell said. She said the pull of drugs was just too strong: "I think once drugs started to come in, it just took over students' mind-sets, it took over their goals." From the early days of her husband's presidency, Nancy Reagan decided to focus on the anti-drug cause. She said she came up with the name of her campaign at a meeting with schoolchildren in Oakland, when a girl asked her, 'Mrs. Reagan, what do you do if somebody offers you drugs?'" "Just say no," the first lady replied. Read more stories Schools around the country formed "Just Say No" clubs, in which students did community service and made pledges to not try drugs.

The refrain became the mantra of the anti-drug movement and greatly raised Reagan's profile as first lady. She appeared on hit shows such as "Dynasty" and "Diff'rent Strokes" to deliver her message and made hundreds of appearances around the country. "Without Nancy Reagan, there would not have been the public climate to support drug abuse prevention," said Ivy Cohen, president of the Just Say No Foundation from 1987 to 1997. "She galvanized attention to the issue." In 1981, when President Reagan took office, more than 1.3 million people tried cocaine for the first time, according to estimates from the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In 1991, that number was down to below 500,000. Join the conversation on Facebook >> Dr. Herbert Kleber, director emeritus of the Columbia University Division on Substance Abuse, said tolerance of drugs in the 1960s and 1970s had led to vast abuse. Even among circles of professionals in staid suburbia, lines of cocaine were laid out at parties much as their parents had mixed highballs.

Kleber said Reagan's campaign probably helped change public opinion a notch, but many other factors did as well. The death of star college basketball player Len Bias of a cocaine overdose in 1986 shocked many people unaware of the stimulant's dangers. And the crack cocaine epidemic and the gang warfare that came with it ripped apart neighborhoods and revealed to America deeply destructive aspects of illegal drug use. "My experience is 'Just Say No' wasn't terribly effective," Kleber said. "But it was better than not doing it." In 1989, no longer first lady, Reagan came to Los Angeles to boost her image as an anti-drug crusader. With dozens of reporters in tow, she and Police Chief Daryl F. Gates watched as officers stormed a suspected "rock house" in South Los Angeles. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan has died at age 94. Police arrested 14 men and women on a variety of drug charges and allegedly confiscated about a gram of crack. Officers gave her a tour of the house before she retired to an air-conditioned RV, "freshened her makeup and then waded out among the cameras," according to a Times story.

"I saw people on the floor, rooms that were unfurnished … all very depressing," the former first lady reported. Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance, a New York City group working to end the war on drugs, said "Just Say No" was part of an unrealistic goal of a "drug-free society" that led to mass incarceration in minority communities and beyond, "something we're only beginning to recover from now." He said Reagan's message might have resonated with younger children, but not the adolescents who needed to understand the realities of drugs. "The 'Just Say No' campaign made about as much sense as a just-say-no campaign with respect to sex education," he said. "Teachers, educators, the government, parents need to provide something other than an abstinence-only message for the majority of young people who do in fact end up trying, experimenting or using drugs before they turn 18." In Compton, instead of "Just Say No" clubs, Cornwell and other teachers tried to combat drug use among students by connecting with them one-on-one, and starting clubs or activities that kept them busy after school. She said that the problem was serious, but that a minority of students were drug users.

See the most-read stories this hour >> Read the story Others say the message resonated. In Northridge, Napa Street Elementary School Principal Brenda Fernandez said the slogan became a regular and serious topic of conversation with her parents, and guided her as a child. Now, Fernandez, 44, said it resonates with her students. Last week, her school teamed up with the Los Angeles Police Department's baseball team for a "Just Say No" program that expanded on Reagan's message, asking students to take pledges against drugs, gangs, crime and bullying. Fernandez said not everyone will identify with the slogan but its simplicity allows educators to reinforce important topics with children. "It was such a part of our culture that it's been one of those things that's ingrained in us," Fernandez said. "It's just one of those catch phrases that will be part of us for ages to come." Nancy Reagan's 'Just Say No' effort was pop-culture icon Nancy Reagan's 'Just Say No' effort was pop-culture icon Her "Just Say No" campaign was blend of personal effort and brilliant marketing.

Post to Facebook Nancy Reagan's 'Just Say No' effort was pop-culture icon Her "Just Say No" campaign was blend of personal effort and brilliant marketing. Check out this story on USATODAY.com: CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 28 To find out more about Facebook commenting please read the Conversation Guidelines and FAQs Nancy Reagan's 'Just Say No' effort was pop-culture icon Paul Singer , USA TODAY Published 1:36 p.m. ET March 6, 2016 | Updated 11:29 a.m. ET March 7, 2016 CLOSE Share The former first lady died of congestive heart failure. First lady Nancy Reagan makes a "Just Say No" appearance in Harpers Ferry, W.Va., on Sept. 11, 1986. (Photo: Bob Daugherty, AP) Nancy Reagan may best be remembered for three words: "Just say no," the motto of her years-long anti-drug crusade.

She had been concerned about drug use prior to her arrival at the White House, but as first lady she made prevention of youth drug addiction her signature cause. She said the slogan had come from a meeting with children. The Ronald Reagan Library tells the story this way: "A little girl raised her hand,” Nancy Reagan recalled, “and said, ’Mrs. Reagan, what do you do if somebody offers you drugs?’ And I said, ’Well, you just say no.’ And there it was born.” The library says that by the end of the Reagan administration in 1989, more than 12,000 "Just Say No" clubs had been formed worldwide. 2016 candidates react to the passing of Nancy Reagan Nancy Reagan worked with a New York advertising firm to shape the campaign and used popular culture to propel her message. In 1983, she played herself in an episode of the popular sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. Diminutive star Gary Coleman portrayed a reporter for the school newspaper who discovered drugs being sold on campus, and she came to the school to offer support for anti-drug efforts.

Another popular kids television show, Punky Brewster, aired an episode about resisting peer pressure to take drugs, and started a partnership with Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" clubs organizing anti-drug "Punky Brewster Marches" at schools around the country. CLOSE Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANPresident Obama to skip Nancy Reagan's funeral to attend SXSW | 0:59 President Obama reportedly will skip the funeral in order to attend an event at the South by Southwest festival in Austin. Video provided by Newsy Newslook 1 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANNancy Reagan's casket arrives at Reagan Library | 3:08 Former First Lady Nancy Reagan's casket arrives at the Reagan Presidential Library as family, friends, and members of the public come pay their respects. 2 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANFamily Of Nancy Reagan Honors Former First Lady | 2:53 Family and friends of former first lady Nancy Reagan attend a memorial service in Santa Monica, California on Wednesday. The funeral service is scheduled for Friday.

(March 9) AP 3 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANNancy Reagan funeral to be held Friday | 1:30 Funeral services for the former first lady will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. She will lie in repose Wednesday and Thursday. AP 4 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANFormer Staffer Recalls Working With Nancy Reagan | 2:15 Former Reagan administration staffer Anita McBride remembers Nancy Reagan for the style and elegance that she brought to the White House. \u0022As women, we didn't wear pants in the West Wing and that was one of Mrs. Reagan's rules,\u0022 she recall AP 5 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANNancy Reagan Remembered for Role As First Lady | 3:25 Former First Lady Nancy Davis Reagan has died. She is remembered as a champion of her husband and the founder of the \u0022Just Say No\u0022 anti-drug awareness program.

(March 6) AP 6 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANFuneral Plans Announced for Nancy Reagan | 0:49 The funeral for former first lady Nancy Reagan will be held on Friday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. (March 7) AP 7 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANObama: Nancy Reagan 'charming' and 'gracious' | 1:00 President Barack Obama says he once had the opportunity to meet with former first lady Nancy Reagan and that she could not have been more charming and gracious. (March 7) AP 8 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANMoment of silence held for Nancy Reagan during debate | 0:38 A moment of silence was held for former first lady, Nancy Reagan, during the CNN Democratic debate. VPC 9 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANNancy Reagan's legacy: Love | 1:21 Former first lady Nancy Reagan devoted her life to her husband, late President Ronald Reagan. While she worked on numerous causes over the years, one of her biggest legacies is their love.

VPC 10 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANSchwarzenegger Honors Reagan at Kasich Rally | 0:55 Arnold Schwarzenegger honored former first lady Nancy Reagan on Sunday, following the news of her death over the weekend. The former California governor held a moment of silence for her during a rally for presidential candidate John Kasich. (March 6) AP 11 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANVeteran Pays Respects to Nancy Reagan at Library | 0:36 Former first lady Nancy Reagan died at her home on Sunday. She was 94. Veteran Andy Hall, who served under Ronald Reagan, visited the presidential library in Simi Valley to pay his respects to the former first lady. (Mar. 6) AP 12 of 14 Share REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANFormer US First Lady Nancy Reagan dies | 3:30 Former First Lady Nancy Davis Reagan has died. She is remembered as a champion of her husband and the founder of the \u0022Just Say No\u0022 anti-drug awareness program. (Mar.

6) AP 13 of 14 REMEMBERING NANCY REAGANNancy Reagan dies at 94 | 2:25 The former first lady died of congestive heart failure. 14 of 14 President Obama to skip Nancy Reagan's funeral to attend SXSW Nancy Reagan's casket arrives at Reagan Library Family Of Nancy Reagan Honors Former First Lady Nancy Reagan funeral to be held Friday Former Staffer Recalls Working With Nancy Reagan Nancy Reagan Remembered for Role As First Lady Funeral Plans Announced for Nancy Reagan Obama: Nancy Reagan 'charming' and 'gracious' Moment of silence held for Nancy Reagan during debate Nancy Reagan's legacy: Love Schwarzenegger Honors Reagan at Kasich Rally Veteran Pays Respects to Nancy Reagan at Library Former US First Lady Nancy Reagan dies Nancy Reagan dies at 94 In October 1983, Reagan appeared as guest host on ABC's Good Morning America program, interviewing former drug addicts and their family members.

"They tell me to keep on doing what I'm doing, to try to help focus attention on this tremendous problem that we have in this country," she said on the program, according to an Associated Press account from the time, "and to try to help the parents who are so confused and so frightened, who don't know what to do." And she made hundreds of personal appearances at anti-drug events. The Reagan Library reports that "in 1984 alone, she made 110 appearances and 14 anti-drug speeches," and she handed out countless green and white Just Say No t-shirts and buttons to crowds of students. Nancy Reagan, protector of former president's legacy, dies at 94 In September 1987 she met one-on-one with Pope John Paul II to discuss her anti-drug efforts. "Just Say No," however, has also been heavily criticized as an over-simplistic approach to addressing drug abuse. Scientific American reported in 2014 that studies showed students need a much more nuanced education on social interactions and that students in "Just Say No"-style programs were as likely to use drugs as students who were not.

And drug use, particularly cocaine, soared in the 1980s, as did the number of people incarcerated for drug-related offenses. By the end of the decade, pollsters reported that a majority of Americans saw drug abuse as the most serious issue facing the nation. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Nancy Reagan attends the unveiling of a statue of her husband, President Ronald Reagan, in Washington, D.C., on June 02, 2009. Nancy Reagan died of congestive heart failure on March 6, 2016, at her home in Los Angeles, according to a family spokesman. She was 94. Karen Bleier, AFP/Getty Images First lady Nancy Reagan and her husband, President Ronald Reagan, at a luncheon in New Orleans honoring her for her work to combat drug abuse on Aug. 15, 1988. Mike Sargent, AFP/Getty Images Reagan waves to the delegates at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia on Aug. 1, 2000.

Eileen Blass, USA TODAY Former president Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan in Washington after she spoke at a White House Conference on 'Drug Free America' on May 10, 2000. MIKE SARGENT, AFP/Getty Images Nancy Reagan talks to supporters of her husband's campaign for the 1976 Republican presidential primary at Jack London's home and ranch in Glen Ellen, Calif. on April 7, 1976. The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY NETWORK Nancy Reagan poses for a portrait during her husband's 1976 campaign for the Republican presidential primary. The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY NETWORK Nancy Reagan poses for a portrait in April 1976 during her husband's campaign for the Republican presidential primary. The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY NETWORK Former California governor Ronald Reagan, with his wife, Nancy, speaks at the Trunk n Tusk dinner in Phoenix on Apr 8, 1976, during his campaign for the 1976 Republican presidential primary. The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY NETWORK Nancy Reagan, wife of California governor Ronald Reagan, on April 8, 1968.

The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY NETWORK Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis arrive for the Screen Writers Guild Dinner at the Ambassador Hotel in Hollywood, Calif., in February 1951. Ed Widdis, AP Ronald Reagan and his bride, Nancy Davis, smile at each other as they pose after their marriage in the Little Brown Church of the Valley in North Hollywood, Calif., on March 4, 1952. AP The Reagans are shown in a scene from the 1957 movie "Hellcats of the Navy." AP The Reagans attend a July 16, 1959, Hollywood movie premiere. AP The Reagans arrive for the West Coast premiere of "Cleopatra" at Pentagon Theater in Hollywood on June 19, 1963. AP Reagan talks with son Ronnie in the living room of their home in Pacific Palisades on July 21, 1966. AP The Reagans speak to attendees at a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., on March 11, 1970, where Ronald Reagan announced his plans to seek a second term as California governor.

AP Nancy Reagan, wife of California governor Ronald Reagan, poses for a portrait on March 28, 1972. The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY NETWORK Ronald Reagan embraces his wife, Nancy, after debating President Jimmy Carter in Cleveland on Oct. 29, 1980. AP Chief Justice Warren Burger administers the oath of office to Ronald Reagan as Nancy Reagan holds the Bible on Jan. 20, 1981. AP The Reagans wave from a limousine during the inaugural parade in Washington following Reagan's swearing-in as the 40th president of the United States on Jan. 20, 1981. AP The Reagans dance on Jan. 20,1981, at an inaugural ball at the Pension Building in Washington. AP Frank Sinatra applauds next to first lady Nancy Reagan at the National Italian-American Foundation's 10th Anniversary Gala in Washington on Oct. 19, 1985. AP First lady Nancy Reagan holds their dog Rex, a King Charles spaniel, as she and President Reagan walk on the White House South lawn in December 1986.

Dennis Cook, AP President Reagan and Nancy Reagan wave as they board Air Force One at Sky Harbor Airport after their visit to Phoenix on May 6, 1983. The Arizona Republic, USA TODAY NETWORK President Ronald Reagan cuts in on singer Frank Sinatra as he was dancing with Nancy Reagan during a party in the East Room of the White House on Feb. 6, 1981. AP Claudette Colbert, right, receives a backstage visit from the Reagans after she appeared in the play "A Talent for Murder" in Washington in this 1981 photo. SCOTT APPLEWHITE, Associated Press The Reagans and Press Secretary James Brady take part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 9, 1981, for the refurbished press room at the White House. AP The Reagans take a ride at their ranch, Rancho del Cielo, in Santa Barbara, Calif., in 1982. AP Reagan shares a laugh with Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, and other entertainers at a salute to country music at Constitution Hall in Washington on March 16, 1983.

Ira Schwarz, AP The Reagans walk through the thousands of graves in the American Cemetery in Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, on June 6, 1984, during ceremonies for the 40th anniversary of D-Day. Bob Daugherty, AP Ronald Reagan, with first lady Nancy Reagan looking on, takes the oath of office for his second term as president from Chief Justice Warren Burger in a private White House ceremony in January 1985. Ira Schwarz, AP The Reagans talk to the news media on their ranch, Rancho Del Cielo, 30 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, Calif., in August 1985. Steve Malone, AP Reagan presents a "Just Say No" T-shirt to Bradley Nash during a visit to Harpers Ferry, W.Va., on Sept. 11, 1986. Bob Daugherty, AP Talk-show host Joan Rivers meets with Nancy Reagan during her appearance on "The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers" on Oct. 30, 1986.

Reed Saxon, AP The Reagans pose with Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev at their ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif., in May 1990. Steve Malone, AP Five former first ladies pose with then-first lady Hillary Clinton at the National Garden Gala in Washington on May 11, 1994. Shown from left are Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush and Clinton. Shayna Brennan, AP The Reagans tour the "Christmas Around the World" exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum on Nov. 22, 1994, in Simi Valley, Calif. Mark J. Terrill, AP Fullscreen Former president Gerald Ford, center left, and his wife, Betty, far left, along with Reagan and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, right, share a moment during the celebration of former president Ronald Reagan's 85th birthday at Chasen's restaurant in West Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 6, 1996. Reed Saxon, AP Reagan speaks at the Republican National Convention in San Diego on Aug. 12, 1996.

Bob Riha Jr., USA TODAY Then-first lady Hillary Clinton and former first ladies Lady Bird Johnson, Barbara Bush, Betty Ford and Nancy Reagan attend the opening celebration of the George Bush Library on Sept. 7, 1997, in College Station, Texas. John Mottern, AFP President Bill Clinton and others applaud as Reagan arrives for the dedication of the new Ronald Reagan Building in Washington on May 5, 1998. H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY Reagan is followed by guest speaker Rudy Giuliani at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Auditorium prior to his speech in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 30, 1999. Michael Caulfield, AP Nancy and Ronald Reagan celebrate his 89th birthday on Feb. 6, 2000, at their Los Angeles home. Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Reagan stands with an unidentified officer watching as military pallbearers carry the casket of former president Ronald Reagan to a hearse in Santa Monica, Calif., on June 7, 2004. Reed Saxon, AP Reagan kisses the casket of her husband prior to the removal of his coffin from the Capitol Rotunda on June 11, 2004.

Elise Amendola, AP Nancy Reagan places a bouquet of white roses on the gravesite of her late husband to commemorate the one-year anniversary of his passing at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif., on June 5, 2005. Alex Berliner, AP Former president George H.W. Bush stands with Reagan after she presented him with the 2007 Ronald Reagan Freedom Award on Feb. 6, 2007, during a ceremony in Beverly Hills, Calif. Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images President George W. Bush with former first lady Nancy Reagan during the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in tribute to her husband, former president Ronald Reagan, in Washington on May 15, 2002. Tim Sloan, AFP/Getty Images California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger escorts Reagan into the Air Force One Pavilion to attend the first Republican candidates' first debate of the 2008 presidential race at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on May 3, 2007. Robyn Beck, AFP/Getty Images Former first ladies Barbara Bush and Nancy Reagan leave the National Cathedral in Washington following the funeral of former president Gerald Ford on Jan.

2, 2007. H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY Reagan stands alongside President Obama as he signs the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act in the Diplomatic Room of the White House on June 2, 2009. Jim Watson, AFP/Getty Images Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, left, and Rick Perry, right, meet with Reagan before the presidential debate at the Reagan Library on Sept. 7, 2011, in Simi Valley, Calif. Chris Carlson, AP Reagan visits the grave site of the late former president Ronald Reagan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on June 5, 2014, in Simi Valley, Calif. Mark J. Terrill, AP Like this topic? You may also like these photo galleries: Replay Probing Question: Is 'Just Say No' an effective anti-drug approach? | Penn State University Probing Question: Is 'Just Say No' an effective anti-drug approach? Tom Fitzgerald Probing Question: Is 'Just Say No' an effective anti-drug approach?

Shutterstock Many people remember the famous anti-drug slogan coined by former First Lady, Nancy Reagan: "Just Say No." Critiqued by some for reducing a complex issue to a catch phrase, Reagan's campaign is generally considered to have been unsuccessful, and the phrase "just say no" has become a pop-culture joke. "Effective resistance strategies go beyond repeating simplistic slogans at kids,'" says Michael Hecht, professor of communication at Penn State. "Instead, researchers in the field realized a couple of decades ago that we needed to give kids a variety of skills to resist peer pressure, to 'say no,' and to make good decisions. We tried to accomplish this through various structured programs." One of these programs, D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), became especially popular during the eighties and nineties and is still used by some school systems today. But D.A.R.E. has been widely criticized as ineffective. One reason for this failure, according to many, could be that D.A.R.E uses police officers to deliver anti-drug lessons in schools. As Hecht notes, "there is no evidence that police officers are effective in this role.

Rather, it is clear from a large body of research that students are more receptive when their peers are involved with delivering the message." Even programs that work well under ideal conditions are frequently less effective when adapted to suit implementers' needs or tastes, Hecht says. And some programs don't work at all, even with proper implementation. "That's why the federal government keeps a database of anti-drug programs and their success statistics in an effort to inform the public about which programs could work for their school or community." One program that has shown positive results is "keepin' it REAL" (an acronym for the program's strategies: "Refuse, Explain, Avoid and Leave"). The four strategies emerged in research conducted by Hecht and associate professor of communication, Michelle Miller-Day, when both taught at Arizona State University in the 1990s. "'keepin' it REAL' differs from previous programs in that it works from the ground up rather than from the top down," according to Miller-Day. In the program, high school students produced video narratives that show how youth have made good decisions and dealt with offers of drugs in their own lives. These videos are shown to middle school students, who then discuss the content.

By involving kids in making video presentations of the kind of real-life situations they face, Miller-Day says, the social consequences of drug-taking are addressed in a way that makes sense to other kids. "keepin' it REAL" also takes into account cultural and ethnic differences in the way kids deal with offers of drugs. For example, Hecht and colleagues at Arizona State University designed the program with a version of the curriculum which features Mexican American kids and their culture and a version that is multicultural. How does Hecht know the program works? "That's the easy part," he says. "The research shows that kids are fairly honest on anonymous surveys. Breathalyzer and saliva test results correlate well with the surveys. And more to the point, kids don't have any more reason to lie to us than to anyone else.

The survey data show significant positive effects on drug use and attitudes toward drugs." Miller-Day and Hecht attribute this success to the fact that their program was "designed by kids, for kids, and through kids." Programs like "keepin' it REAL" recognize that adolescence is complicated, Hecht suggests, and that kids can play a vital role in explaining to their peers how to "say no" to drugs, even in situations that are not simple or easy. "keepin' it REAL" is now being tested in four schools in Delaware. Next year, fourteen more schools in that state will test the program. Forty-seven schools in Pennsylvania have also lined up to be involved in a Pennsylvania version of "keepin' it REAL" if funding becomes available. Michael Hecht, Ph.D., is professor of speech communications and crime, law, and justice. He can be reached at mlh10@psu.edu . Michelle Miller-Day, Ph.D., is assistant professor of communication arts and sciences. She can be reached at mam32@psu.edu . Share this story

Question: Which First Lady suggested "just say no" to drugs?
Answer: Nancy Reagan